Gift Guide 2012: Five hot toys for kids

Dream Toy 2012 unveiled some of the hottest toys on the market this year. Here are five that will have your kids tearing into their holiday presents:

TechPet: The virtual pet is reinvented. Named one of Time magazine's Best Inventions of the Year 2012, Bandai's TechPet lets you dock your iPhone or iPod Touch in what looks like the body of a robotic dog. It also features a downloadable app that transforms the screen of your iPhone into a cartoonish dog face. Kids use the phone's touch screen, camera and microphone to feed and give the pooch commands. ($77.50; preorders at www.ishop2go.com)

Monster High Ghouls Rule Dolls: Move over, Barbie. The new "it" dolls are stylish takes on ghouls and monsters with flashy hairdos, makeup and clothes. The new lineup of dolls plays off classic monsters and includes Draculaura, Frankie Stein and Clawdeen Wolf. (From $19.97, www.amazon.com)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Two decades later, the four anthropomorphic reptiles named after Renaissance artists are as popular as ever. With a new film due out in May 2014, the turtles have rolled out with sleeker looking 11-inch toy figures and an array of accessories, including a tire swing and zip line. ($19.99, www.toysrus.com)

Hot Wheels Apptivity Vehicle Pack: The popular toy cars take a new spin -- on an iPad screen. A free app downloads to transform the iPad into one of nine race or challenge courses, where kids can race one of four specially designed Hot Wheel vehicles, each with its own in-game sounds and actions. ($7.99, www.amazon.com)

Twister Dance: Furby is back, but the furry, owl-looking interactive robots are too solitary a toy to grab the fifth spot. Instead, this remake of Twister gets the nod. Up to two can play, navigating eight movable colored spots choreographed to today's top dance music. It also features an MP3 plug-in so you can dance to your favorite songs. ($24.97, www.walmart.com).